Gever Tulley describes his parents as beatniks. Growing up in Mendocino, California, often below the poverty line, he and his brother were given a great deal of freedom and largely left to their own devices after school. Encouraged to embrace exploration and self-directed learning, Tulley taught himself to code and became a self-taught software engineer. He later applied the same ethos to completely reimagine learning.

Tulley believes children are capable of great responsibility and should be trusted with both tools and autonomy. He knows from experience that creativity and deep skills positively flourish when released from the confines of rigid educational systems.

His current project is Brightworks, a K–12 school in San Francisco that operates without traditional teachers, classes, or curriculum. Instead, students are grouped by interest and maturity into “bands,” guided by adult “collaborators.” Parents are welcome to participate at any time.

Brightworks students take on large, collaborative projects—such as building Mars habitats or designing planetariums—organized around semester-long themes. There are no grades or tests; students steer their own education, developing practical and creative skills through real-world challenges rather than standardized instruction.

About half of Brightworks’ students come from Silicon Valley families, while the rest receive tuition support. Graduates have excelled in interviews and creative fields, gaining entry to top universities and innovative jobs. Progress is measured through portfolios of work and, above all, by the joy and engagement students demonstrate in learning. By that measure, Tulley contends, Brightworks is a resounding success.

Sign me up.

ARTICLE: No Teachers and No Curriculum: Is This the School of the Future?

WEBSITE: Brightworks

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